Pompeii Street View. Via dei Sepolcri (also referred to as Via delle Tombe) from north to south.

Part 3      Part 1      Part 2

Via dei Sepolcri includes the remains of:

Via Pomeriale, west part, at the side of the Villa di Cicerone on the west side of Via dei Sepolcri

Via Pomeriale, east part, between tombs HGE01 and HGE03 on the east side of Via dei Sepolcri

Via Superior, the junction on the east side of the road to the north of the Villa of the Mosaic Columns, which led to the front of the Villa of Mysteries.

Via dei Sepolcri, east side. December 2006. Looking south from the Villa of the Mosaic Columns.

Via dei Sepolcri, May 2010. Looking north from near HGW08.

Via dei Sepolcri, east side, May 2010. Looking north from HGE08.

Via dei Sepolcri, east side, about 1900. Looking north from HGE08. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Via dei Sepolcri, Pompeii.

From an Album by M. Amodio, c.1880, entitled “Pompei, destroyed on 23 November 79, discovered in 1748”.

Looking north. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Via dei Sepolcri, Pompeii. From an album dated c.1875-1885. Looking north. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Via dei Sepolcri, west side, May 2010. Looking north from HGW07.

Via dei Sepolcri, May 2010. Looking north from HGW06.

Via dei Sepolcri, Pompeii. 1957. Looking north along the east side. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.

Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.

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Via dei Sepolcri, Pompeii. April 2014. Looking north. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Via dei Sepolcri, Pompeii. October 2001. Looking north. Photo courtesy of Peter Woods.

Via dei Sepolcri, Pompeii. 8th August 1976. Looking north along east side of roadway, with HGE04, on right.

Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer, from Dr George Fay’s slides collection.

Via dei Sepolcri, Pompeii. From an album dated January 28, 1894. Looking north. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Via dei Sepolcri. Looking north from the Herculaneum Gate. 1886 painting by Alfred Rettelbusch.

Photo courtesy of © Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg.

Via dei Sepolcri. From an album dated 1875. Looking south towards Herculaneum Gate. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Via dei Sepolcri. Old postcard by Trampetti. Looking south towards Herculaneum Gate. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

Via dei Sepolcri near Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. Cippus of Suedius Clemens.

According to the information card on display in Naples Archaeological Museum -

(In 69AD, Titus Suedius Clemens was captain of a vanguard in the army of Otho and commander of an expedition to Egypt. He later served under Vespasian. In 79AD, he was prefectus castrorum in Egypt. We know his mission to Pompeii took place about 76AD, when he supported M. Epidius Sabinus’s candidacy to duovir. Sabinus, called defensor colonorum in some campaign posters, must have been one of the most enthusiastic advocates in Pompeii of imperial intervention in defence of the property of the colony. Three more identical inscriptions have been found at a distance of about 29.50 – 29.80 metres (100 Roman feet) from the main gates of the city, Porta Vesuvio, Porta Nocera and Porta Marina. This is why scholars believe these cippi marked out as public property the strip of land running around the walls, which had been trespassed into after the earthquake of 62AD. The text does not contain direct mentions of the pomerium. By placing it in highly visible spots, near the city gates, it granted maximum publicity to an action that was part of a programme of cadastral revision promoted by Vespasian all over the empire.)

Found 16th August 1763, on the south of the street close to the entrance to HGW05, near to the circular seat of Mamia.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 3848, (CIL X, 1018).

The inscription reads

EX AVCTORITATE

IMP CAESARIS

VESPASIANI AVG

LOCA PVBLICA A PRIVATIS

POSSESSA T SVEDIVS CLEMENS

TRIBVNVS CAVSIS COGNITIS ET

MENSVRIS FACTIS REI

PVBLICAE POMPEIANORVM

RESTITVIT      [CIL X 1018]

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de) this reads

Ex auctoritate

Imp(eratoris) Caesaris

Vespasiani Aug(usti)

loca publica a privatis

possessa T(itus) Suedius Clemens

tribunus causis cognitis et

mensuris factis rei

publicae Pompeianorum

restituit      [CIL X 1018]

“By authority of the emperor Caesar Vespasian Augustus,  the tribune Titus Suedius Clemens, having ascertained the reasons (causis cognitis) and made measurements (mensuris factis), restored the public spaces (loca publica) for the Pompeian citizenry.”

Similar Cippi were found at the Porta Marina, Porta Nocera and the Porta Vesuvio.

The wording “rei publicae Pompeianorum” on one of these, discovered in 1763, was the first positive identification that the site was Pompeii.

Until then scholars had divided opinions on the city buried under Civita. Many, including the first official excavators, thought it was the ancient city of Stabiae.

See Conticello, B., Ed, 1990. Rediscovering Pompeii. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider. (p. 225).

Via dei Sepolcri near Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. On 16th August 1763 an inscribed cippus was found.

This confirmed that the Cività was in fact the site of Pompeii.

Also found was a consular statue of marble.

The cippus is now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 3848.

The statue is now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 6235.

See Fiorelli G., 1860. Pompeianarum antiquitatum historia, Vol. 1: 1748 - 1818, Naples, 1 153, add. 114, n.12.

Via dei Sepolcri near Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. Inscription in the Via dei Sepolcri, photo between 1869-1877.

Photo by John Henry Parker (1806-1884) courtesy of the British School at Rome Digital Collections.

See https://digitalcollections.bsr.ac.uk/islandora/object/PARKER:1053

Via dei Sepolcri near Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. 1970.

Possible statue of Suedius Clemens in Pompeii Antiquarium, previously identified as such.

Via dei Sepolcri near Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. Statue of Suedius Clemens, previously identified as such.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 6235.

DAIR 39.923. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

Via dei Sepolcri near Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. 1845 drawing of street, tombs and gate.

See Zuccagni Orlandini, A., 1845. Atlante Illustrativo ossia raccolta dei principali monumenti italiani antichi, del medioevo e moderni e di alcune vedute pittoriche: Vol. III: Regno delle due Sicilie. Firenze, Tav. VI, n.1.

Via dei Sepolcri. Pre-1824 painting “Entrée de Pompei du Cote d’Herculanum” by Jakob Wilhelm Huber.

See Huber, J. W., 1824. Vues pittoresques des ruines les plus remarquables de l’ancienne ville de Pompei, pl. III.

Via dei Sepolcri. Pre-1824 aquatint “Entrée de Pompei du Cote d’Herculanum” by Jakob Wilhelm Huber.

See Huber, J. W., 1824. Vues pittoresques des ruines les plus remarquables de l’ancienne ville de Pompei, pl. III.

Via dei Sepolcri, September 2021.

Looking south towards Via Pomeriale east part, on left, and Herculaneum Gate. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Via dei Sepolcri, May 2010. Looking south from HGW07 towards Via Pomeriale east part and Herculaneum Gate.

Via dei Sepolcri. Stereoview by R. Rive, c.1860-1870s. Looking south towards Herculaneum Gate. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Via dei Sepolcri, (?), Pompeii.

Limestone commemorative inscription for the works of the Via Salina, written in Oscan from right to left. End of the 3^rd-2^nd century BC.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum, inv. 2546/110671 (Vetter 9-10)._

According to the information card – it reads –

“P. Matius (son of) P. and Nimsius Maraius (son of P.), aediles, delimited the Via Salina (Salina road) and …… the road is wide …….perticae.”

Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella, June 2017.

(Note: the word “perticae” is a Roman rod measuring 10 feet.)

Via dei Sepolcri, (?), Pompeii. Detail from information card in Naples Archaeological Museum.

Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella, June 2017.

Via Pomeriale, east part. May 2006. Leading from Via dei Sepolcri to the city walls and to tomb HGE02.

For a description of Via Pomeriale, city walls and towers –

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1944-45, p. 275 -294.

Via Pomeriale, May 2010. Looking north along Via dei Sepolcri from the east part of Via Pomeriale.

The entrance to the west part of Via Pomeriale was on the left, near the first tree and where the kerb is missing.

Via dei Sepolcri.

From an album of Michele Amodio dated 1874, entitled “Pompei, destroyed on 23 November 79, discovered in 1745”.

Looking north along Via dei Sepolcri from the east part of Via Pomeriale, on right.

The entrance to the west part of Via Pomeriale was on the left where the kerb is missing. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Via dei Sepolcri. Old postcard, c.1869. Looking north showing the east and west parts of Via Pomeriale.

The entrance to the west part can be seen directly opposite to where the lady is sitting. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Via dei Sepolcri. September 2021.

Looking north through Herculaneum Gate, with east part of Via Pomeriale, on right.

The entrance to the west part can be seen at the end of the new fence, on the left, by the tree.

Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Via Pomeriale west part. December 2006. Site of entrance from Via dei Sepolcri, to left of the entrance to the Villa di Cicerone.

Via Pomeriale. December 2006. The site of HGW04a is to right.

Via Pomeriale. About 1834. With HGW04a and the site of the street altar as shown by Mazois.

Pompeii street shrine on the corner of Via Pomeriale. Drawing of street shrine, published in 1824.

See Mazois, F., 1824. Les Ruines de Pompei : Premiere Partie. Paris : Didot Frères, (p.33),

Via Pomeriale. 1804 drawing of street passing to right of entrance to rear of HGW04a.

See Piranesi, F, 1804. Antiquités de la Grande Grèce : Tome I. Paris : Piranesi and Le Blanc, (pl. 42).

Part 1      Part 2